ROCKFORD – After falling to 29th in a 30-team league for penalty killing, the Rockford IceHogs have put special emphasis on the problem.

The team spent “12 to 13 minutes at both ends of the ice” working on solutions at Tuesday’s practice.

“It’s just trying to understand and make reads,” head coach Ted Dent said. “Our guys are working hard, they’re blocking shots.

“We’re playing against some teams with high skill levels, and it’s a matter of these young guys being able to make those reads as quickly as possible.”

Inititial results were positive in Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime victory over Milwaukee -- the Ads were 0-for-4 on the power play. Now the ‘Hogs hope to continue the sudden stinginess.

What really hurt Rockford’s ranking was allowing four power-play scores twice in a recent five-game stretch. Not surprisingly, they lost on both occasions.

Last week, the IceHogs allowed six man-advantage tallies on 14 tries.

“Honestly, it’s execution,” said veteran defenseman Jared Nightingale. “Most of the time your penalty kill is all hard work and finishing. You’re playing against good teams, and they’re going to put it in the back of your net.

“We definitely noticed that. We highlighted that (on Tuesday) and I guarantee we’re going to get better.”

Rookie defenseman Bobby Shea added: “We were a little passive and letting them make plays. We’ve got to be more aggressive, block shots and execute on our clears.”